I'm here to try and gather together all the helpful information new youtube channels need to grow in the Minecraft LP genre. If your on less than 500 Subscribers and you want to grow your channel to 500+ please keep reading this topic.

A while back I started a topic with a concept like this, but it was taken down by the forum mods for containing too many subscribe to me like posts... and a few videos... this is not the place for posts like that. You can not post videos in this topic forum, and you can not ask for subscribers in this fourm.

However the post did have a lot of success and overnight, well the weekend for most, everyone involved in the post, increased their subscribers by 30+ new subscribers. Everyone found it very informative and it was the top post in this forum category for the whole weekend as everyone shared their advice.

After that post was removed, I had a lot of messages from those it had helped, wanting more.. so I've had a think about how we can do this inside the rules of the Forums here.. and I came up with a new plan.

My channel "NEMSUN" - see link below.. started a series called "Running with Nemsun" and you will find all the information you need in that series.

However this post is a call for help, I'm asking you to post below anything that you think may help new youtube channels to grow in the first 500 subscribers range..There where a lot of good ideas in the previous post, that helped a lot of new youtubers get to 50 and even 100 subscribers with in a few days.

I will read and reply to all posts here, I will subscribe and give feed back to all youtubers involved here, I will make videos using the collected information from this post, so you dont have to read through all the duplicates and pages of posts on this topic. I will try to help everyone get to 500+ Subscribers.

Please post anything you think may be useful or interesting below... check my channel for more information and please subscribe and help me to reach a large audience.

Hello,
First of all,beautiful post.I,myself,am not a big youtuber,but I would like to add one thing like a tip,it's not compulsory though.
I will start with a question:Do you play alone?
If yes,I think one tip that would help your channel is:Look for a partner who's dedicated and serious enough,a partner with whom you could record,a partner with whom you will have fun.
Till this very moment,I play alone and I'm on a quest to seek out a good partner,because without a partner is a)Not fun b)Well it's better to have two 'advertising' people,that will help grow your channels.
I would like to be your partner!

Hello,
First of all,beautiful post.I,myself,am not a big youtuber,but I would like to add one thing like a tip,it's not compulsory though.
I will start with a question:Do you play alone?
If yes,I think one tip that would help your channel is:Look for a partner who's dedicated and serious enough,a partner with whom you could record,a partner with whom you will have fun.
Till this very moment,I play alone and I'm on a quest to seek out a good partner,because without a partner is a)Not fun b)Well it's better to have two 'advertising' people,that will help grow your channels.
I would like to be your partner!

Well Yes I agree, NEMSUN on the MADLANDS (The Multiplayer Series) is just that a Server Based series, where we play together as much as possible. I have my own solo series as well, but the combination of Solo LP's and Partnered Videos makes for a more rounded and entertaining Youtube channel for subscribers.. Check out the MADLANDS and see if Mimerez has any more spaces on the Whitelist for you to join us.

I'm a small channel as well, so take this all with a grain of salt (though I have only been making content since June 2012, and have had hardware issues since Oct 13, 2012, which limit my output greatly)

One of the best tips you get from youtube itself: Produce Regular Content (users more likely to stick around if you release regularly, and they enjoy it)

Though from myself, here's two things that get me to subscribe to channels:
- Do what you love, if you are doing what you're doing just for subs or to get 'internet famous', unless you're a really good actor it's going to show through. Passion tends to get other people fired up about it too.

- Add value. Yes, entertaining people is adding value, but what if you're just not that funny? or just not that charismatic? Be informative, if you do a LP, don't just sit and scream, give people something they can walk away with - whether it's just a good chuckle or story, or information they can use to improve their experience in a game or in life in general. (reviews/news/etc. are all good value adding tools too).

==============

Another big tip is to be an active community member - whether it's these forums, or other forums, or even just youtube itself (I got over 10 subs from one of my comments being voted up on a TotalBiscuit video... and this was/is during my downtime due to hardware failure, which is thankfully resolving soon). By being active, and including your channel in your signature, or relating things civilly back to your channel - people will slowly trickle in, and considering they're actively part of a community -you- are part of and active in, the greater the chance you'll share interests, and they'll actually enjoy your content (if its decent quality).

Also activity can include working with other individuals - channels cross-pollenate... do collaborations with other active youtubers - whether it's just playing a game together, or doing a Q&A with someone... or any number of other things (personally I'm applying to help channels with voice acting needs, because I enjoy doing that - and it helps people produce the content for their channels that they want as well - so we cross-promote each other by benefiting each other...)

There's a lot of things you can do... and this is all without even delving into the technical side of things (hardware/software/etc. that can help improve your content creation workflow, quality, etc.)

- Add value. Yes, entertaining people is adding value, but what if you're just not that funny? or just not that charismatic? Be informative, if you do a LP, don't just sit and scream, give people something they can walk away with - whether it's just a good chuckle or story, or information they can use to improve their experience in a game or in life in general. (reviews/news/etc. are all good value adding tools too).

Yeah, lots of great points, but this one I picked out for extra comment..

I see so many new youtube channels though trying to help them out, and a lot of the time, there just is no hope for them, because they just scream stuff at each other or solo, just shouting and swearing. Its a great way to put someone off watching more of what you produce. Somethings are fun, and can improve your content with a scream here and a swear there.. but in most cases I've seen the overuse of screams and swears, it's not adding anything to the content when it is the only content.

Alexcho... its an important thing, so I thought I had better point out to you.

Your signature banner, looks cool, but links to the site you created it on, not to your youtube channel.. if you want to place your channel in the signature of all your posts (which is a wise move) make sure you link it properly

Another big tip is to be an active community member - whether it's these forums, or other forums, or even just youtube itself (I got over 10 subs from one of my comments being voted up on a TotalBiscuit video... and this was/is during my downtime due to hardware failure, which is thankfully resolving soon). By being active, and including your channel in your signature, or relating things civilly back to your channel - people will slowly trickle in, and considering they're actively part of a community -you- are part of and active in, the greater the chance you'll share interests, and they'll actually enjoy your content (if its decent quality).

Also activity can include working with other individuals - channels cross-pollenate... do collaborations with other active youtubers - whether it's just playing a game together, or doing a Q&A with someone... or any number of other things (personally I'm applying to help channels with voice acting needs, because I enjoy doing that - and it helps people produce the content for their channels that they want as well - so we cross-promote each other by benefiting each other...)

There's a lot of things you can do... and this is all without even delving into the technical side of things (hardware/software/etc. that can help improve your content creation workflow, quality, etc.)

Ok, thanks for the words so far... I'd like to focus a little on what I call Stage One.

Stage One, IMAGE is Everything!

It's nothing to do with the content of the videos, or the software you use to make videos.. this is more about the Backgrounds for your channels, the icons used on your channels and way you brand yourself and your channel..

I suggest that everyone reading this needs to check a few things.
1) Your Channel name is defined and not weird... ie it is a simple branded statement. "Nemsun, Plays Minecraft"
2) Your Background is a clear and attractive collection of art and branded images.
3) Your Brand is clear through all the above, and you promote that Brand image in the promotional stage.

I am not 100% on this myself at the time of writing this, but I know what is wrong and what I need to fix it.

Suggestions please people..

1) Backgrounds, whats free and easy to what costs but very cool.
2) Software to edit images, extract Minecraft Skins, and overlay brand images.
3) Sizes for the best looking results on youtube channels.

Next, when we have a few good suggestions, we will move onto Intros, Outros and Thumbnails....so save that for the next part of the topic please.

I guess I should chime in on this lol... if for no other reason than to bump the thread, but also the fact that I do have an art background (mind you, not digital stuff like web design, but some of the philosophies do carry over), and always did well at marketing, even though I hated it :

- "Channel Name" - it should either be your online identity, or your channel's "Brand" - depends on what you're selling (are you selling 'you', then your pen name/online identity is appropriate... are you selling reviews? then maybe you should think about using the word "reviews" in your name... obviously there's a lot of grey area... I could do for example: "Alzorath's Reviews" - selling by myself and the review aspect of my channel) - branding is only marginally important if you are just doing a channel for you and your friends, but it's vitally important if you want to aid your channel into growing into something more.

- Backgrounds: There's a lot of philosophies here, but make it appropriate for your channel, and in many cases a blank background is better than an overly cluttered or distracting background. Make sure your background serves an aesthetic purpose, and isn't just a bunch of images 'picture vomited' on your page. Also if you're going to do a background, make multiples, never settle for the first idea that comes to mind, until you've made other ideas (the first idea is only rarely the best).

- Avatars: same here as with the background (except you almost -need- an avatar), but here you also want to make sure it's an avatar you can easily adapt to multiple background colors (at the very least a "light bg theme" and "dark bg theme" - that way you can use it on forums, reddit, etc. and use the one appropriate for the page color). This and background are purely aesthetic, but since youtube is essentially info/entertainment, aesthetic DOES have an impact. (especially in gaming)

- There's free software for image editing: GIMP and Inkscape come to mind... then you have pay products... ranging from low end things like ArtRage, all the way up to more expensive things like Photoshop and Illustrator (look to corel for cheap alternatives, though Adobe's are better in these regards... but if you have use for natural-media-emulation, Corel Painter is lovely if you have a tablet). Minecraft skins can be edited most of these fairly easily.

- Don't limit yourself to 'just minecraft'... yes a focused channel is powerful early on, bringing in viewers of that specialty, and people knowing they can consistently visit your channel for that specific content. But be sure to have ideas on how to branch out in nearby interests - never end up solely a one trick pony, instead have your 'core' and your 'support' series... (main series and side series, is another common way to say it).

I could put more... and a lot more detail on visual design (though I am slow as hell making graphic resources for my own channel lol...), but I have to go get some sleep

Do something unique for once. I'm tired of watching people play a video game. Try doing something with the video game instead of just playing it and talking. You could do reviews, 100 ways to ___, playing with mods on it.

For example with Minecraft, don't just record yourself surviving, record yourself building a cool structure. Or show off a cool structure. Review adventure maps, review/play around with mods.

DO SOMETHING BESIDES PLAYING! (PS. this is coming from a video viewer, not a creator.)

The problem is youtube suffers from the "simpsons did it!" conundrum - there's a lot of people out there doing pretty much anything you can imagine, that youtube will let them get away with at least... the trick is, if you're going for a saturated market, is making your -real- personality show through and giving it a good relatable flavor (that way it doesn't just feel like more of the same, even though at its core - it is)

Now that said, there are ways to go with something that's already been done, and be successful at it:

- Be higher quality: Basically make your version of the content more appealing, satisfying, etc. by improving the quality and effort put into it, to make it a step above the rest in delivery. This is especially strong in the area of tutorials, movies, music, etc.

- Fight for the Niche Audience: Gear your content towards a niche audience... mods are a good way in minecraft to do this, a non-minecraft example is my series "Deck Breakdown" as it appeals to the tcg niche audience (though it will be expanding to a slightly larger niche audience soon). These are things with a smaller audience, but also a smaller creator pool.

- Jump on the "new": Create content oriented towards new or trending things, hoping to get some cross-promotion from them. I'm not a fan of this, but it does work.

Personally, I keep the philosophy of doing what I enjoy rather than doing what will get me subs, or what my 'marketing mindset tells me to do' - As long as I enjoy it, I'll keep doing it, and if more people that enjoy it too, just makes it better .

Do something unique for once. I'm tired of watching people play a video game. Try doing something with the video game instead of just playing it and talking. You could do reviews, 100 ways to ___, playing with mods on it.

For example with Minecraft, don't just record yourself surviving, record yourself building a cool structure. Or show off a cool structure. Review adventure maps, review/play around with mods.

DO SOMETHING BESIDES PLAYING! (PS. this is coming from a video viewer, not a creator.)

Do something unique for once. I'm tired of watching people play a video game. Try doing something with the video game instead of just playing it and talking. You could do reviews, 100 ways to ___, playing with mods on it.

For example with Minecraft, don't just record yourself surviving, record yourself building a cool structure. Or show off a cool structure. Review adventure maps, review/play around with mods.

DO SOMETHING BESIDES PLAYING! (PS. this is coming from a video viewer, not a creator.)

I agree with the idea of making original content. The community of let's players is so large that sometimes it's tough to do something that nobody has thought of, but it is worth the time spent thinking about it. This is what I aimed to accomplish with my Item of the Day series!

I'd say get a partner with the opposite of your personality. Think of Lewis and Simon of the Yogscast, they work well together because Simon is silly and spontaneous while Lewis is serious and planning.

I would say stay active and post quality content. People don't usually mind it if there is sometimes a small audio error or if the vid is 480p.But nobody would watch a video of 20 minutes you just trying to get diamonds. You should then make something more intresting that can be helpful or/and enjoyable.